title: Size of radial and ulnar artery in local population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate radial and ulnar artery diameter in patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study in which we measured the inner diameter of radial and ulnar artery by using two dimensional ultrasound and Doppler examination in 251 patients visiting our hospital for diagnostic coronary angiography between February to September 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean diameter of right and left radial artery was 2.3 +/- 0.4 mm and 2.2 +/- 0.4 mm respectively. The mean diameter of right and left ulnar artery was 2.4 +/- 0.4 mm and 2.3 +/- 0.3 mm respectively. The factors found to positively influence the size of radial artery included male sex, diabetes mellitus and smoking. There was no relationship of the size of the radial and ulnar artery with body size parameters (height, weight, Body Surface Area (BSA) & Body Mass Index (BMI).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that ulnar artery diameter is larger than the radial artery in our population. Knowing the size will guide the interventional cardiologist in using appropriate size sheaths and guide catheters. Cardiac surgeons can utilize ulnar artery for bypass grafting when it is deemed unsafe to harvest the radial artery.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Karachi.
authors.forename: Tariq
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.forename: Ziauddin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Panhwar
authors.forename: Sultana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: Muhammad Anis
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Memon
authors.forename: Fahad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shamsi
authors.forename: Javed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arif
mesh_terms: D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000637:transplantation; D011884:Radius / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012307:Risk Factors; D017535:Ulnar Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex